One popular modern form of entertainment is a video game. A video game is generally a game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The electronic systems that are used to play video games are known as platforms. Any number of different platforms exists for video games and in particular, one popular type is a video game console that interfaces with a display, such as an HDTV set. Alternatively, video games can be played on a handheld device or the games can be downloaded to a computer or a handheld device, such as a cellular phone, etc. Advances in technology have led to a dramatic increase in the number of video games and to dramatic advancements in the complexity and the quality of the graphics and sound effects and interactivity of these games.
A video game, like most other forms of media, may be categorized into genres based on many factors, such as, method of game play, types of goals, and more. Some of the more popular genres include sports related video games, such as baseball and football; educational; action, etc.
As the popularity of video games has proliferated, both video game designers and advertisers have realized that video games can be used as an effective means for advertising a product or service since, during play, the player's attention is focused on the screen which includes areas in which advertising banners or the like can be placed without impacting the play of the game.
More specifically, in-game advertising (IGA) refers to the use of computer and video games as a medium in which the deliver advertising. Each year revenues from in-game advertising increases and many in the game industry view in-game advertising as offering a viable revenue stream, allowing developers to offset growing development costs and to take more risks in proposing new game play to the gaming audience. The proliferation of video games has led to a reduction in television viewing in some demographic groups and therefore, advertisers are seeking to capture these demographic groups by expanding their medium.
There are different types of in-game advertising. In particular, static in-game advertising is one type of in-game advertising that has been popular, especially in early generation video games of years past. As the name implies, these advertisements are placed directly into the game by artists or programmers and can not be changed later. One type of static in-game advertisement is a virtual billboard, such as a billboard at a sports arena, while another type is an in-game product placement, such as a soft drink that the players drink after playing a sport, etc.
Another type of in-game advertising which is increasingly becoming the preferred means for in-game advertising is dynamic in-game advertising. Increasing Internet connectivity has led to the growth of dynamic in-game advertising and unlike the fixed advertisements found in static in-game ads, dynamic advertisements can be altered remotely by an advertising agency or an entity, such as the video game designer, that is managing the video game play, e.g., as when the video game is downloaded from a website, etc. Dynamic advertisements are downloaded for display in designated locations of the game, and which ads are actually downloaded can be adjusted to suit the geographical location or time of day, allowing for the delivery of time-critical advertising campaigns, such as those publicizing a movie launch or the launch of a new product, etc. Information can be sent back from the player's machine regarding advertisement performance; data such as time spent looking at advertisements, type of advertisement and viewing angle and this information can be used to better formulate future campaigns and also allows the advertising agency to offer more flexible advertising campaigns to their clients.
However, there are a number of deficiencies with existing in-game advertising. For example, in-game advertising is typically sold in blocks in that the advertisements for a particular game are populated for the whole game and most times, the advertisements are associated with one company. Thus, many times, the advertisements found throughout various screens of the game belong to one particular company (e.g., all in-game advertisements in a soccer video game may be from one soccer clothing or shoe manufacturer (e.g., Adidas®)). While the advertisements can be selected for a particular demographic, such as the Northeast states, by simply tracking where the downloaded game is being delivered and then, based on this information, delivering a selection of games for that region, the advertisements are merely loaded into for display at predefined times or at predefined locations as the player plays the game.